


Meet the Parents (M!DB/Vilkas)

by Nudebeme



Series: The Artist and Vilkas [15]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Fluff, Honeymoon, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, World Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-26 13:16:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3852292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nudebeme/pseuds/Nudebeme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chac desires to travel home to Valenwood for the first time in over 30 years, and he’s eager to take his newlywed husband with him. There he will finally be able to show his parents the wonderful Nord they can now call their son. However eager, Vilkas is just not prepared for what's in store for him when they finally reach Valenwood. Work In Progress!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meet the Parents (M!DB/Vilkas)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ryu_No_Joou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryu_No_Joou/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I have no idea what Valenwood looks like. I've never played ESO, and the entire description of Falinesti is completely made of what I imagine Valenwood is like. Some of the locations in this fic are completely made up, as are some of the traditions and behaviors of the local Bosmer. That aside, enjoy! Written for Ryu-no-joou who wanted to see Chac's parents.

 

 

Vilkas had never been this far south. Things that where both sentimental and nostalgic to Chac where a neverending source of wonder for his newlywed husband, the blueness of the sky, the rolling golden fields of barley that was the expanse of Cyrodiil's countryside. The paleness of Vilkas' eyes where unused to the intensity of such an unforgiving sun, the couple riding in the safety of numbers in a traveling caravan Southward to Chac's home country of Valenwood. Tamriel was more beautiful than Vilkas could ever have imagined, and even if he thought Skyrim was breathtaking, there was just something about the mildness of the clime, the scent of foreign flowers on the breeze that made the Nord so excited to be on this adventure. And who better to guide him than Chac, the man he married and would follow to the ends of Nirn?

 

However it wasn't until the rocky hills of Anvil where just in sight that Vilkas let the excitement consume him. Looking up from the brim of his wide straw hat, the towering peaks of Anvil's terracotta roofs where proof that their venture through Cyrodiil was just about over. Chac looked so excited, he'd been eager for this journey for weeks, dying to visit his parents whom he loved with all his heart.

 

“After we pass through Anvil, we take the ferry down to Falinesti's shore. It's a little trading town called Kelvat, and I'd say it'll be the surprise of your life stepping off the boat.” Chac laughs, hoping that strife had kept the strange little portside town safe from harm or change. The colors and smells where just in the future and he could almost taste the seasoned streetfood of his home.

 

“Don't you know nothing surprises me, love?” Vilkas sighs, his horse suddenly tripping on a loose cobble and nearly sending the Nord tumbling off- “GAH!” He cries, and Chac openly bursts out laughing.

 

“Nothing surprises you, eh? What was that then?”

 

“That wasn't surprise, that was shock. This horse is about to keel over from hauling _me_ for over half a day.” Vilkas lowered his voice, peeking back at the large amounts of native Imperials on the caravan behind them “-These horses are used to lugging around these little Imperial men. I'm twice their size.” 

 

“Sure, blame those heavy bones.” Chac snickers, leaning over the distance on his horse to give Vilkas' tum a playful slap, only to be slapped in return. “Look, the gate. Anvil's a decent city, if you don't mind the smell.” Together, they bid farewell to the caravan that sheltered them, stepping off their horses and entering the gated city, tall and beautiful buildings of stone and clay reminding Vilkas of Solitude. The smell was definitely something he noticed right away, the vaguely hot weather making the stench of brine and fish all the more rank. 

 

There was no time for sight-seeing, they needed to be quick to catch a spot on the ferry. In the cobbled streets beggars pandered for money, elderly women minded wine stalls, food vendors angrily swatted flies from their produce. It surprised Vilkas to see how dark skinned the locals where, the Imperials of the mountainous region much shorter than the soldiers he saw occupying Skyrim. They where lovely people, some of them anyway.

 

His height caught the attention of nearly every local he passed, their cool and clipped accents nothing but hushed whispers at the sight of a Nord passing through. Chac grins up to him, wishing to hold the hand of his beloved but knowing better in this less-than-tolerant part of the world. Together they descended the hills of the city until with fascinated eyes did Vilkas finally take in the sight of Anvil's coast. The water here was a purest dark blue he'd never imagined water could take, the sunset hanging over a lighthouse casting the most intense colors of pink and orange. It was enough to make him sigh in delight. 

 

“Beautiful water..” Vilkas admits, being led down to the wooden docks, now the scent of fish was a little unbearable. “Can't say the same for the smell.” 

 

“We'll be off soon. Look, I think that's the ferry.”

 

“How can you tell?”

 

“Look at all of the Bosmer on it, notice the permanent look of drunken stupor on their faces, the sluggishness of their movement. They want to get to Valenwood as bad as we do.” Chac has to laugh, it's been such a long time since he'd seen a Bosmer fresh off the boat from Valenwood. He forgot how lazy his kind could be...

 

“Ah,” Vilkas starts, not quite sure what to say other than the fact that Chac seemed pleased with their loafing about while the Imperial dockworkers around them toiled away. Chac did all the talking, Vilkas merely following him trying to look indifferent while his husband bartered their passage oversea.

 

The boat captain was a little elf, swarthy and more ugly than an elf should be. He only laughed joyfully at the sight of Chac's coin, with open arms offering the two passage over the rickety bridge to their ferry. 

 

“Nord, huh? Hope you got your sea legs, it's going to be a nasty night on the Abecean!” Vilkas had to smile, the captain shared Chac's accent. “Y'ffre, the gods are making them Nords bigger and bigger!” as Vilkas passed him, the captain slapped Vilkas on the back, a bit too close to the tush for comfort. The touchy Nord would have said something, but Chac merely pulled him away.

 

“Listen, if you're going to get through Valenwood without a complex, you'd better get used to the locals touching you. Bosmer... we don't really know the concept of personal space, you see.”

 

“Do I have to keep my arse clenched, or what?” Vilkas smirks.

 

“Oh don't worry, almost every Bosmer we're going to meet will hardly come up to your chest. No sneak attacks, but I can't promise you anything. Just...keep an eye on your coinpurse.” Chac was greeted by the amazed stares of upwards of 20 Bosmer, their chestnut-brown gazes unused to the sight of such a large elf. 

 

“...Why are they staring at you?” Vilkas whispers, taking a seat and stowing his travel pack below him. 

 

“They probably think I'm a half breed. Half Altmer. It's not so much a stigma as it is a bragging right.” Chac sighs, too tired of sitting to put his ass on any old plank of wood just yet. “You stay here for just a minute, I'm going to check out the boat.”

 

Left alone, Vilkas was next to the only human on the ferry. It felt strange being the minority, but the Nord felt at least relieved that no looks of scorn where upon him, just curious eyes. None where nearly as ebony black as Chac's, and the Bosmer where all shades of tan... very beautiful people. He tried focusing elsewhere, looking out onto the coast and seeing the most odd-looking trees he'd ever seen; long, naked trunks with vivid green leaves larger than he was all clumped at the top. They leaned every which way, some having what looked like green cannonball-sized fruit. He'd have to ask Chac what they where called..

 

“Hmm.” A little voice caught his attention, and Vilkas met eye to eye with what he realizes is the first child Bosmer he'd ever seen. “Mama says you're a Nord.” 

 

“That I am, little one.” Vilkas grins, finding his normally cold mood melted in this beautiful evening. 

 

“She says you're the tallest people in the world! Stand up! Stand up!” 

 

Vilkas couldn't help but laugh, she was so small. When he pulls off his hat and stands, he is shocked by the sight of 5 more little Bosmer children scrambling around him, all jumping in amazement at how he towered over them all. He felt his face go hot, glancing over and seeing the gorgeous mothers of those children laughing at him. Little elven hands grubbed at his pants, soon a whirlwind of rowdy kids are trying to climb him like a tree with no punishment from their parents. 

 

His hero came just in time, Chac cracking up at what's become of his husband not 3 minutes after he left him alone. “Um, Chac-” He stutters, wanting help “I wasn't prepared for this!” 

 

“Oh, Vilkas they love you already. Go on! Scoot!” the tall elf shooing the children away, Chac saves Vilkas with a much needed bottle of wine uncorked for them to share. Sitting themselves down, Vilkas smiles warmly at the sight of the children all scurrying back to their family, still peeking at him with devilish grins. “Here, get this into you. We got another hour or two before we set sail.” 

 

“Chac, what are those ridiculous looking trees over there?”

 

“...Those are palm trees. Why?”

 

“Oh, you think I've ever seen a bloody palm tree before? And what are those big things on them? Palm-balls?”

 

“Eh, close enough. Those are coconuts, and you're going to be sick of them by the time we get home.” 

 

“I thought Bosmer didn't eat fruit?”

 

“They won't care if you do, we're not as strict on foreigners about following the green pact. I guarantee more than half of the Bosmer on this boat right now are drunk on wine.” 

 

“What stays in Cyrodiil, eh?” Vilkas smiles, looking so handsome with the sunset in his eyes. Chac made a toast to that, both taking their turns drinking from the bottle while the dragonborn once again had to remind himself he was married to this amazing man. He was so excited to bring him home and show his mother and father what a charming husband he has, someone for them to call their new son. 

 

Before the last glimmer of sun dipped over the horizon, the ferry finally set sail. Vilkas silently said his goodbye to Cyrodiil, now greeting a wide open night sky that shone with a completely new set of stars. The boat was far from quiet, lanterns kept the deck alight while the communal elves all sat together and exchanged words, some squatting on the ground and playing a game with small pieces of bone and stones. 

“Want to play with them?” Chac asks, Vilkas only feeling slightly nauseated by the rocking of the waves. 

 

“I don't even know what they're playing. It looks intense.” Vilkas eyed the nearest two males now arguing and throwing coins at each other, pounding their fists on the wooden deck. 

 

“It's called Jing-Jing. It's a counting game, but mostly you just need to be lucky. Come on, let's ask if we can play.” 

 

“No, Chac, I'll wat-”

 

“You're playing. Now squat down over with them and ask for some playing pieces!” Chac pinched his bum and made his husband join, and even though Vilkas felt so out of place, the Bosmer where such a welcoming people. Soon Vilkas was squatting in a circle with the rest of them, tossing little bone pieces on the deck and learning step by step. 

 

Not even an hour later Vilkas was head to head with his opponent, fire in his eyes and arguing loudly with the rest of them. Chac was so proud, seeing that smug look on his husband's face when he was winning and fellow players where throwing septims in his direction. He was going to fit in so well. 

 

And when it came time to sleep, Vilkas and Chac found themselves shit out of luck finding any space to rest below deck. Together with most of the other males, the married couple felt no disappointment in being forced to sleep on the deck. Heads resting on their travel packs with nothing to blanket them, it was the comfort of the endless night sky and their love that kept them warm. Tomorrow, Chac comes home. 

 

When morning broke, the first thing Vilkas noticed was the savage heat that beat down upon his fair white skin. The sound of commotion was all around them, eager Bosmer children running out of the stow to greet their fathers, screaming in joy at the sight of Valenwood's coastline. Chac made a noise somewhere between a groan and a snort, shaking himself awake and then prodding at Vilkas' shoulder. 

 

“Wake up, we're almost to Kelvat. Gods, I can't believe I'm actually home.” 

 

Vilkas stood, peering over the boat along with the rest of the passengers, and he couldn't have been more shocked by the sight. The water was a sparkling green-blue, a color he didn't even know existed that, coupled with the vast coastline of towering mangrove trees, put Vilkas in a spell. He'd read of Valenwood, but nothing could have prepared him for the exotic beauty of the jungle's coastline. 

 

“Chac... Divines, I..” Vilkas stammers, peering down into the water and seeing all the way to the bottom, an entire world of colorful coral just below the surface. 

 

“I've almost forgotten how beautiful it is, home.” Chac looked as if he was about to weep, a sparkle in his eyes. Thirty-five years he's been on the road, to see the sweeping shores of his mangrove home almost made the dragonborn break down. 

 

“I can't wait to land. Chac,” Vilkas reaches over, running a hand down his husband's back in comfort “This is going to be everything we've been waiting for and more.” 

 

Land, he called it. Chac grins, unable to stop himself from kissing his husband- won't he be surprised to see that there wouldn't be any dry land in sight? When the boat pulled in, Vilkas looked utterly confused. There was no dock, no port nor tavern nor inn. What the Nord saw instead was an expanse of thickly branched trees, brightly decorated with pod-like structures built within them. Kelvat, he's discovered, is nothing but a bazaar floating in the trees, with nothing but vines and branches to reach one hut to the next. Below the town was only water, that same crystal clear water swimming with life.

 

Kelvat was alive and bustling with locals selling goods, the scent of roasting meat only as intense as the colors of the rich silks for sale. Vilkas was instantly in love, feeling as though he'd stepped off the boat into a wonderland. 

 

“Watch those feet, landlubber!” the handsy captain laughs, once again giving the Nord a playful slap. It was then he saw nearly every single elf that stepped off the boat take off their shoes, going barefoot upon the mossy branches and taking to them like nimble squirrels. 

 

“Take off your shoes, Vilkas. Or I'll be fishing you out of the water, hehehe.” 

 

It was definitely weird, but as Vilkas took off his shoes, the soft bottoms of his feet instantly grew to like the plushness of the mossed trees. He always prided himself in having wonderful balance in the field of battle, but he was just not prepared for this. Chac took him by the hand, lugging their travel packs in the other arm- Kelvat awaits. 

 

Vilkas couldn't hide his smile even if he tried, he allowed himself to be pulled with great care through the aerial alleyways of the bazaar, tiny Bosmer natives racing past them swinging on vines, screaming and hooting. The accent that Vilkas found so exotic on Chac was now all around him, merchants calling out to the Nord to browse their wares, to try the local jagga. He wanted to stop at every tree and look, and Chac couldn't find it in himself to rush the man no matter how badly he wanted to travel home. 

 

“I can see where your sense of fashion comes from, Chac.” Vilkas grins, lifting up a lavishly colored dashiki shirt (albeit much too small for him) that Chac was always ridiculed for wearing back in Skyrim. 

 

“Ah, speaking of fashion, the clothes you have on now are only going to wind up killing you from heat. I'm thinking a wardrobe change is in order.” 

 

“You're going to make me wear one, aren't you.” Vilkas grins, only now noticing how potent the heat was even in this morning sun. Vilkas was all for it though, he always was proud of his open mind, and soon enough Chac was making him disrobe in public (a completely acceptable act, he learns) and put on the first set of light Bosmeri clothing that would fit on him. 

 

“Ugh, Vilkas you look so handsome.” Chac sighs, Vilkas however thinking he looked ridiculous in these loose-sleeved kaleidoscopes they called shirts. Coupled with the local colors and dirty foot soles, Vilkas looked as ready as ever to travel to Falinesti. Bounding across another street branch, Chac met with what he was aching for all week... Bosmeri cuisine. 

 

“This is a good place to get some food, Vilkas I promise you'll love it.” Chac brought him over to the grill, and the Nord saw what looked like entire exotic animals charred and seasoned on sticks. By far not a picky eater, even Vilkas was a little apprehensive while staring at his future meal which stared right back at him. 

 

“Oy, stick that in your slot and tell me it ain't the best frog you ever ate!” The vendor says- more like shouts- waving an impaled grilled frog under Vilkas' nose. He took it apprehensively, unwilling to seem rude while Chac instantly dove right into his meal, tearing at it viciously with his Bosmeri fangs. 

 

“Go on, you can eat the bones too, they wont splinter.” Chac says between muffled mouthfuls, looking completely in Aetherius. Turns out amphibian tasted much better than it looked, Vilkas only needed a tiny sample before he let his hunger do the rest, eating his meal until it was nothing but a head on a stick. 

 

“What else you in the mood for? Big Nord like you's gotta have a full stomach!” Soon the vendor was scrambling over his firepit to reach for the next impaled item, offering Vilkas something that looked way too much like a charred, fat penis for comfort. 

 

“What..What is it?” Vilkas had to ask, hearing Chac snickering behind him, knowing what he must be thinking. 

 

“Oh come now, don't try and make him eat that, that's not for beginners.” 

 

“No, I want to know what it is. Honestly.” 

 

The vendor leaned over, a menacing look on his angular features “Sea cucumber. Fascinatin' creature. I promise I pulled all the poison sacs out.” 

 

Vilkas bit the inside of his cheek before he knew he had to decline. “Sorry... sea.. _cucumber_ ...sounds too rich for my blood.” 

 

“Oy that's a shame, best just stick with the mundane crap, eh?” Oh gods, the longer Vilkas spent talking to these natives, the more he realized he was actually surrounded by hundreds of copies of his husband. He settled for another serving of frog before they where off, Vilkas too unsure of his own weight to trust swinging from any vines. 

 

He wanted to stay all day, but Chac was more than eager to get on the “road” and start their trek through the mangroves to where he could find his parents. They went at a slugs pace to the outskirts of town, and that is when Vilkas comes across something that actually terrified him. From the treetops a cacophony of squealing and yipping noises could be heard, and with Vilkas too busy looking down to watch his footing, he didn't have time to react to the troop of creatures that came to greet them.

 

“What is that noise? Chac? WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?!” Vilkas hollers, steadying himself on the branch, scant inches away from a group of their little faces. “They look like men! Like tiny hairy men!” he barks, never once reading or even hearing of such a human-like creature.

 

“They're monkeys!” Chac sighs with a grin “Can't even recognize your own cousins? I'm surprised you've never heard of em.. don't let them get too close though, they'll rob you blind.” Vilkas however was still affixed by the sight of their little human hands, some of them even having breasts like a real woman. Vilkas said he wouldn't be surprised by anything, but gods damn it all, he was more terrified than he'd ever like to admit. 

 

“Can they talk? Can I tell them to fuck off?” 

 

“You'll be fiiine just keep moving, we're in their territory. We stick around too long they're bound to start lobbing shit at us.” 

 

Vilkas scoffs, his pace quickening to keep up “Well, they're ghastly.”

 

Unlike the quiet of Skyrim's forests, the mangrove jungle was alive with the wild calls of its denizens. Together the two travel the lowest branches, listening to the pull of water through the roots. It was no longer safe, Chac had his bow at the ready in his need to protect himself and his husband until Vilkas was skilled enough to fight among the trees. 

 

Hours went by. Vilkas' toes where in pain from all of the gripping and balancing he'd been doing, and the sparse amount of shade among the trees left the midday sun to beat down on them both. Vilkas was slowing down, a humidity in the air he'd never known before making him so lethargic he could barely keep up. 

 

“Vilkas, if we need to stop, just tell me.” Chac doubles back to check on his love, seeing a red band forming across the bridge of his nose and cheeks. Vilkas was a stubborn man, though. He merely went to pull off his shirt and wrap it around his waist before letting himself continue. 

 

“I'm good. Let's move.” 

 

Well it turns out, he wasn't good. Not even a few moments later Vilkas has to stop again, dripping sweat and pulling off his pants until he was in nothing but his skivvies. His skin was getting more and more red by the minute, and Chac sincerely has to plead with him to take a break, and maybe sit in the cool water for a time. 

 

He wouldn't have it though. Vilkas wanted to prove to Chac that he was a fighter and he could belong here. He could do this.

 

Not ten minutes later Vilkas collapses, plummeting into the water below. Chac didn't even notice until he heard the big splash, not seeing Vilkas behind him or anywhere for that matter. 

 

“Chac! Puh!” Vilkas surfaces, the cool water a shock to his overheating body. His husband races down to the water, reaching a hand down and pulling his lobster-red spouse up onto the branch. Chac looked peeved, frowning at Vilkas who finally (yet silently) admits that he'd pushed himself too far. 

 

“We're going to sit here until you cool down.” Chac sets down both of their packs he'd been carrying and lets Vilkas sit, his feet dangling into the water. “Y'ffre look at you, I've never seen anyone so red in my life.” 

 

“Red?” a lightheaded Vilkas asks, bewildered. He leans over and looks at his reflection in the water, only to see a stranger looking back at him. “What! What happened to me?! Gods, I can't meet your parents looking like this!” Unless you toiled in the fields in Markarth, getting such a bad sunburn was unheard of in Skyrim; he even pressed his hand into his shoulder and was amazed at how it left a lily-white imprint before fading back into a dark red. 

 

“There's ointment we can buy if we chance upon a salve-maker in the village, but until then we're going to have to cover you up the old fashioned way.” 

 

“The old fashioned way? How's that?”

 

Vilkas never pouted more in his life. He was forced to stand in one spot with his arms and legs spread, Chac reaching down into the water and pulling up big scoops of dark mud to slather onto his skin. So he was going to be as red as an apple, naked, AND covered in filth while running through the trees? He was willing for adventure, but Vilkas thinks he may have been introduced to this new lifestyle a little too quickly. 

 

“Well, you're all covered up.” Chac states, washing his hands in the saltwater while Vilkas glared daggers at him.

 

“ _I hate this._ ” 

 

“..I love you?” Chac didn't know what to say, but he knew bursting out laughing at the sight of his new husband was a one-way ticket to a slap in the mouth. Vilkas said nothing more as he stormed on ahead of Chac, the elf biting back his grin while staring at the Nord's mud-covered tush. 

 

Day turned into evening, and Vilkas thanked all that is holy when they finally touched land. The first thing he could think of doing was jumping back into the water and washing off all the dried crap stuck to his body, doing so with great enthusiasm. The time spent under the sun however did nothing for his complexion, Vilkas could be spotted half a mile away glowing red like a beacon. The humidity down and the heat finally breaking, Vilkas made himself a respectable man again by donning his clothes and wrapping a silk around his scorched face. 

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

“Like you could fry an egg off my back, that's how.” 

 

“We'll get you some help, don't you worry. Finding a village is important, we can't be wandering in the jungle at night...foul beasts roam the ground.” Vilkas was eager to learn how to hunt the local game, but all he could fathom doing right now is collapsing into a bed. He followed his husband's lead, Mangrove trees changing into towering, ancient flora that blocked the sky entirely. 

 

“Follow me, we're bound to find people soon.” 

 


End file.
